December, the times when the year will once again come to an end starting the flame of a new beginning. This time of year is when family and friends gather around to discuss and laugh about the past memories about the year in hopes the new one will be just as good. This year was entirely different than what most of us awaited to see, we didn’t expect anything that was thrown to us, that was what 2020 was. 2020 was a year of pain, loss, but in the end, we all found comfort in our own twisted way. This year was a lot, and one that equally felt like the longest and shortest year of our lives, but together we have all made it out, even if it was a tough one. 

We started off this year with the terrible wildfires happening in Australia that would run rampant throughout the next couple of months. This wildfire caused so much land and animals to be harmed throughout its burning time. We also started the new year off with the impeachment of Donald Trump and the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna from a terrible helicopter crash. This was a huge heartbreaking moment for everyone, fan or not during this time. This heartbreak would only be the start to a year full of it when in January was when America’s pandemic would begin. In February of 2020 many places started getting warned of a possible virus being spread, this was huge news but to us as ignorant as we were, we felt as if we wouldn’t be impacted, which was terribly wrong. 

In March of this year, our whole lives completely changed, on March 13th it seemed like the world turned upside down. That was mostly everyone’s last day of everything, the last day of school, work, and complete sanity. When we all woke up on March 16th, on that very fine Monday, we were clueless about what to do. Children struggling to start their online school and workers trying to set up their new apps called zoom. March was only the beginning for us, a very long beginning that would last a while. In April we were all struggling to get our lives back in order in any shape or form. We witnessed the toilet paper hunts and the hunt for masks. 

In May, we witnessed an uprising, on May 25th a Black man named George Floyd was murdered, whose death started a new start for advocates and for black people. People were in the streets protesting every night, every day, to show they would not bow down to the system and to the government. They were tired and wanted justice, they wanted justice for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor who was killed in March, and for every black victim against racism and the police system. These protests are still going, and have been constant since then. A stop won’t be made till justice is brought 

In June, the world fought alongside protesters even when people such as Donald Trump would try and put a stop to everything. People showed their support and showed how important these issues are, this also started a more politically aware environment which enabled people to educate themselves on other huge issues such as the people in ice detention centers and the ongoing fight in Venezuela. July was a month full of focus, we focused on many topics and issues we were all facing as a country. 

In August, many students were facing the reality of an online school year as most prepared themselves for the everyday zoom calls with their teachers. We listened to the ongoing talks about the future election that was coming up in the next few months. During this month Joe Biden had announced his running mate for Vice president which was Senator Kamala Harris of California. She would be the first woman, and woman of color for the position. Later that month well-known actor Chadwick Boseman sadly passed away due to colon cancer. September shortly came around with fires burning around California leaving tons homeless. During this month Donald Trump wanted to vote in a new supreme court justice after the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He decided to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barett for this position while others urged him to hold off until after the election. Alongside this month, Donald Trump’s tax returns were released to the public which showed that in the years 2016 and 2017 he only paid 750 dollars. As the months go COVID is incessantly going rampant without any source of stopping anytime soon 

As October began, so did the pressure for the upcoming election that would be taking place the month after. Millions of Americans were sending their early ballots and urged voters to go vote for Joe Biden on election day. During early this month the white house had announced that Donald Trump and his wife had tested positive for covid-19 and were getting treatment. Alongside hurricane season was growing quickly with the number of hurricanes this following year. During this month the awareness of the police unit named SARS from Nigeria caused an uproar in wanting justice for the victims of these units. This month was also Halloween which was incredibly different than the years beforehand, there was no trick or treating, and hopefully no parties but sadly they still happened despite there being a global pandemic. 

November was one of the most stressful months of the year with everything going on from the election to the thanksgiving holiday. November 3d was the history-making election. Millions of Americans anxiously waited for the moment they had been waiting for, voters both in person and by mail waited until the very moment it was called. The election results fluctuated from candidate to candidate until the moment on November 7th when the results came that Joe Biden would be the next president-elect of the United States. Later this month there was also thanksgiving which was one of the most feared holidays of this year, they feared an outbreak due to the holiday travel and spend with others, and they were right. 

As this month comes around as usual it is important to see all the sides of this year, the good and bad of what we saw. It’s important to be thankful for the health of others through this hard year and hope for nothing but the best. As 2021 starts I hope it will start off as a new beginning for us all. And that 2021 will be the change we deserve for us all